Hat-hanger



(No Model.)

W. V. BLEHA. HAT HANGER.

' No. 458,783. Patented Sept. 1, 1891.

'INYENTUR. film &

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IVILLIAM V. BLEHA, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

HAT-HANGER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 458,783, dated September 1, 1891.

Application filed December 29, 1890. Serial No. 376,049- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM V. BLEHA, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city of St. Louis and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hat-Hangers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to devices as attachable to hats for hanging them up, and has forits object to provide a simple device that can be attached to the hat, capable of being folded out of the way into the hat when the hat is worn.

It consists in the device hereinafter described, which is a hat-hanger in combination with an improvement of the hat-guard for which United States Letters Patent No. 414,507 were granted to myself and Frank F. Fife on November 5,1889.

In the accompanying drawings, in which like letters of reference denote like parts in the several figures, Figures 1 and 2 are respectively a front and back elevation of my hat-hanger. Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional View, from front to back, of a hat with the hanger attached and folded into the same, showing in dotted lines its relative position when arranged for hanging the hat up; and Figs. 4 and 5 are two enlarged detail views showing the action of the controlling-spring for keeping the device in the folded or open position. The device consists in the supporting-pad A, and the bifurcated wire bracket B, attached to one edge of the same, formed into two short coil-springs C. These coil-springs 0 act as pivot-bearings for the reduced extension ends D of the plate E, which are inserted therein. To this plate E are secured the two ends of the wire hanging-frame F by insert-ing the ends of the same in perforations in the plate and clinching them on the back side, as shown at G. The two branches of this wire are carried up and given two similar return bends, as shown at H, and then twisted together, forming the waist at I. The two branches are then formed into the oval loop P and then brought together and twisted at K. The doubled end is bent over, forming the hook L, as shown in Fig. 3, being also separated after the twist at K, forming a closed loop M. (Shown in Figs. 1 and 2.) The middle portion of the bracket-piece B is turned up,

forming the lip -shaped loop N, and this presses, by means of the spring in the coils 0, against the lower edge of the plate E, tending, as shown in Figs 4 and 5, to bring the plate E and the attached wire frame F into a plane parallel to that of the pad-piece A. The plate E, which is preferably made of thin sheet metal, is formed with a lip projection on its upper edge capable of overlapping and retaining the lower edge of a card 0, the up per edge of which is inserted in between the two bends at II.

It is designed to make use of the pad-piece A, which is preferably made of some co in paratively stiff leather, board, or like material, as a vehicle for the hat-dealers advertising-card, which can be pasted or printed thereon.

On the removable card 0 it is proposed to put the hat-owners name, which will act as a notice to any person taking down ahat with the device attached therein as to whom the hat belongs, thereby acting as a guard or preventive against the inadvertent appropriation of a hat belonging to some one else, in in the following manner: Vhen the hat is removed from the hook or other support on which it was suspended, the hanger remains in the relativeposition shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3, thereby preventing the person from wearing the hat until the hanger is turned back into the hat, as shown in Fig. In doing this the attention of the person will be at once directed to the name, which while perhaps not preventinghim from taking the hat will deprive him of the excuse of mistaken identity.

WVhile the arrangement for the removable individual name-card O is perhaps the preferable one, yet the card 0 and the means for retaining the same in position may be dispensed with and the plate E may be enlarged, allowing room for the name of the hat-owner to be stamped directly thereon.

In applying my device to hats the supporting-pad A is inserted under the sweat-band R, either at the front or back of the hat, as shown in Fig. The action of the springin the lip-bend N, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, will retain it in either of the positions shown in Fig. 3.

The object of forming the doubled end of the wire hanging-frame F into the perpendicularlyprojecting hook L, as shown in Fig. 3, and the end of this hook into the laterally-extending loop M, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, is to provide convenient means for hanging the hat on different kinds of supports, using the hook, for instance, for hanging the hat on the back of a chair and the loop when a nail is the most convenient thing to hang the hat on. The object in separating the two branches of the Wire in the hanging-frame forming the loop P is to give more lateral strength to the frame than would be secured if the two were twisted together the whole length.

1. In a l1at-hanger, the combination, with a supportingpad, of a wire frame secured thereto provided with coils for the reception of a pivoted plate, a pivoted plate in said coils, said plate provided with an upwardlyextending lug and a card-retainer formed by the upwardly-extending lug, and a looped wire frame secured to the plate, said frame formed of a continuous piece of wire provided with depending folds for the reception of a card, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

2. In a hat-hanger, the combination, with the supporting-pad, of a frame secured thereto provided with coils for the reception of a pivoted plate, a pivoted plate in said coils provided with an upwardly-extending lug, and a frame secured to said plate, said frame formed of a continuous piece of wire provided with depending folds forming a card-holder in conjunction with the upwardly extending lug, said frame then twisted and looped and finally bent to form a hook, substantially as and for the purposes described.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature, in presence of two witnesses, this 18th day of December, 1890.

WILLIAM v. BLEHA.

Witnesses:

J. W. CRooKns, J. L. I-IoRNsBY. 

